See also:

• SIR

SIR See also:

• WILLIAM
• WILLIAM (1143-1214)
• WILLIAM (1227-1256)
• WILLIAM (1J33-1584)
• WILLIAM (A.S. Wilhelm, O. Norse Vilhidlmr; O. H. Ger. Willahelm, Willahalm, M. H. Ger. Willehelm, Willehalm, Mod.Ger. Wilhelm; Du. Willem; O. Fr. Villalme, Mod. Fr. Guillaume; from " will," Goth. vilja, and " helm," Goth. hilms, Old Norse hidlmr, meaning
• WILLIAM (c. 1130-C. 1190)
• WILLIAM, 13TH

WILLIAM See also:

• CORNWALLIS, CHARLES CORNWALLIS
• SIR WILLIAM CORNWALLIS (1744-1819)

CORNWALLIS (1744-1819)  , See also:

• BRITISH

British See also:

• ADMIRAL

admiral, was the See also:

• BROTHER

brother of the 1st See also:

• MARQUESS (1760-1842)
• MARQUESS, or MARQUIS (Fr. marquis, Ital. marchese; from med. Lat. marchio, marchisus, i.e. comes marchiae, " count of the March ")

Marquess See also:

• CORNWALLIS, CHARLES CORNWALLIS
• CORNWALLIS, SIR WILLIAM (1744-1819)

Cornwallis, See also:

• GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

governor-See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general of See also:

• INDIA
• INDIA, FRENCH

India . He was See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born on the loth of See also:

• FEBRUARY

February 1744, and entered the See also:

• NAVY

navy in 1755 . His promotion was naturally rapid, and in 1766 he had reached See also:

• POST

post-See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank . Until 1779 he held various commands doing the See also:

• REGULAR

regular See also:

• WORK

work of the navy in See also:

• CONVOY

convoy . In that See also:

• YEAR

year he commanded the " See also:

• LION
• LION (Lat, leo, leonis; Gr. Mew)

Lion " (64) in the See also:

• FLEET

fleet of Admiral See also:

• BYRON, GEORGE GORDON BYRON, 6TH BARON (1788-1824)
• BYRON, HENRY JAMES (1834-1884)
• BYRON, HON
• BYRON, JOHN BYRON

Byron . The "Lion" was very roughly handled in the See also:

• BATTLE

battle off See also:

• GRENADA

Grenada on the 6th of See also:

• JULY

July 1779, and had to make her way alone to See also:

• JAMAICA

Jamaica . In See also:

• MARCH
• MARCH (1) (from Fr. marcher, to walk; the earliest sense in French appears to be " to trample," and the origin has usually been found in the Lat. marcus, hammer; Low Lat. marcare, to hammer; hence to beat the road with the regular tread of a soldier: cf.
• MARCH, AUZIAS (c. "1395-1458)
• MARCH, EARLS OF
• MARCH, FRANCIS ANDREW (1825– )

March 178o he fought an See also:

• ACTION

action in See also:

• COMPANY

company with two other vessels against a much See also:

• SUPERIOR

superior See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French force off Monti Cristi, and had another encounter with them near Bermuda in See also:

• JUNE

June . The force he engaged was the fleet carrying the troops of See also:

• ROCHAMBEAU, JEAN BAPTISTE DONATIEN DE VIMEUR, COMTE DE (1725-1807)

Rochambeau to See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

North See also:

• AMERICA

America, and was too strong for his See also:

• SQUADRON

squadron of two small liners, two fifty-See also:

• GUN

gun See also:

• SHIPS

ships and a See also:

• FRIGATE

frigate . After taking See also:

• PART

part in the second See also:

• RELIEF

relief of See also:

• GIBRALTAR

Gibraltar, he returned to North America, and served with See also:

• HOOD,
• HOOD, JOHN BELL (1831–1879)
• HOOD, SAMUEL HOOD, VISCOUNT (1724–1816)
• HOOD, SIR SAMUEL (1762-1814)
• HOOD, THOMAS (1799-1845)
• HOOD, TOM (1835–1874)

Hood in the actions at the Basse Terre of St Kitts, and with See also:

• RODNEY, GEORGE BRYDGES RODNEY, BARON (1718—1792)

Rodney in the battle of See also:

• DOMINICA

Dominica on the 12th of See also:

• APRIL

April 1782 . Some very rough verses which he wrote on the action have been printed in Leyland's " See also:

• BREST

Brest-Papers," published for the Navy See also:

• RECORD (Lat. recordari, to recall to mind, from cor, heart or mind)

Record Society, which show that he thought very See also:

• ILL

ill of Rodney's conduct of the battle . In 1788 he went to the See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

East Indies as See also:

• COMMODORE (a form of " commander"; in the 17th century the term " commandore " is used)

commodore, where he remained till 1794 . He had some See also:

• SHARE (O. Eng. scearu, chiefly in compounds, e.g. land-scearu, a share of land, from sceran to cut; cf. " shear" )

share in the See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war with Tippoo See also:

• SAHIB

Sahib, and helped to reduce See also:

• PONDICHERRY

Pondicherry .

His promotion to See also:

• REAR

rear-admiral See also:

• DATES

dates from the 1st of February 1793, and on the 4th of July 1794 he became See also:

• VICE

vice-admiral . In the Revolutionary War his services were in the Channel . The most See also:

• SIGNAL

signal of them was performed on the 16th of June 1795, when he carried out what was always spoken of with respect as " the See also:

• RETREAT (O. Fr. retrete, mod. retraite, from Lat. retrahere, to draw back)

retreat of Cornwallis." He was cruising near Brest with four See also:

• SAIL

sail of the See also:

• LINE

line and two frigates, when he was sighted by a French fleet of twelve sail of the line, and many large frigates commanded by Villaret Joyeuse . The odds being very See also:

• GREAT

great he was compelled to make off . But two of his ships were heavy sailers and See also:

• FELL
• FELL, JOHN (1625-1686)

fell behind . He was consequently overtaken, and attacked on both sides . The rearmost See also:

• SHIP

ship, the " See also:

• MARS
• MARS (MAYORS, MARMAR, MARSPITER GA MASPITER)
• MARS, MLLE [ANNE FRANCOISE HYPPOLYTE BOUTET] (1779-1847)

Mars " (74), suffered severely in her See also:

• RIGGING (A.S. wrigan or wrihan, to clothe)

rigging and was in danger of being surrounded by the French . Cornwallis turned to support her, and the enemy, impressed by a conviction that he must be relying on help within easy reach, gave up the pursuit . The action affords a remarkable See also:

• PROOF (in M. Eng. preove, proeve, preve, &°c., from O. Fr . prueve, proeve, &c., mod. preuve, Late. Lat. proba, probate, to prove, to test the goodness of anything, probus, good)

proof of the moral superiority which the victory of the 1st of June, and the known efficiency of the crews, had given to the British navy . The reputation of Cornwallis was immensely raised, and the praise given him was no doubt the greater because he was personally very popular with See also:

• OFFICERS

officers and men . In 1796 he incurred a See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

court-See also:

• MARTIAL (MARCUS VALERIUS MARTIALIS)

martial in consequence of a misunderstanding and apparently some See also:

• TEMPER (from Lat. temperare, to mingle or compound in due proportion, to qualify, rule, regulate, to be moderate, formed from tempos, time, fit or due season)

temper on both sides, on the See also:

• CHARGE
• CHARGE (through the Fr. from the Late Lat. carricare, to load in a carrus or wagon; cf. " cargo ")

charge of refusing to obey an See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order from the See also:

• ADMIRALTY, HIGH COURT OF

Admiralty . He was practically acquitted .

The substance of the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case was that he demurred on the ground of See also:

• HEALTH

health at being called upon to go to the See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

West Indies, in a small frigate, and without " comfort." He became full admiral in 1799, and held the Channel command for a See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short See also:

• INTERVAL

interval in 18or and from 1803 to 18o6, but saw no further service . He was made a G.C.B. in 1815, and died on the 5th of July 1819 . His various nicknames among the sailors, " Billy go tight," given on See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account of his rubicund complexion, " Billy See also:

• BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

Blue," " Coachee," and " Mr See also:

• WHIP

Whip," seem to show that he was regarded with more of See also:

• AFFECTION (Lat. ad, and facere, to do something to, sc. a person)

affection than reverence . See also Ralfe, See also:

• NAY, or NEY

Nay . Biog. i . 387; See also:

• NAVAL

Naval See also:

• CHRONICLE (from Gr. Xpovos, time)

Chronicle, vii . I; See also:

• CHARNOCK (or CHERNOCK), ROBERT (c.1663–1696)
• CHARNOCK, JOB (d. 1693)

Charnock, Biogr . Nazi. vi . 523 .